Belgian army under fire for plans to cater to homesick recruits

Belgium’s defense ministry is facing criticism for plans to allow recruits to sleep at home rather than in barracks during training to keep them from getting homesick, Het Nieuwsblad reported Thursday.

The ministry is struggling with recruiting and retaining soldiers, and has lost nearly 4,000 recruits over the past decade, the Flemish-language newspaper reported. One in six reportedly complained of missing out on home life and hobbies.

The ministry has said it is making efforts to ease the transition for recruits to the 28,000-strong army to tackle the issue.

“The army wants to include more free evenings where the recruit can leave the barracks,” Belgian defense ministry spokesperson Alex Claeson told Het Nieuwsblad.

“The youngsters are still expected at the gate on Sunday evening or at the latest Monday morning and are not allowed to go outside before Friday,” he said.

The military is even considering scrapping the boarding requirement entirely so that “recruits who live near the military school or the barracks can go home in the evening,” according to Claesen.

Danny Lams, a former paratrooper and the chair of a veterans organization, told Het Nieuwsblad the army’s plans would create a “defense of nothing, an army that you cannot count on.”

“You do not go to a war zone with men who miss their mama,” Lams said.